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ZBA grants variances and coastal approval for Galvins' rebuild at 87 Hillcrest Road
Summary
The Old Lyme Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved variances and a coastal site plan on July 16 to allow the Galvin family to demolish a 1939 four-bedroom house at 87 Hillcrest Road and build a smaller, code-compliant single-family home on the same constrained lot.
The Old Lyme Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously July 16 to grant the variances and to approve a coastal site plan that allow the demolition of an existing four-bedroom house at 87 Hillcrest Road and construction of a new single-family residence.
Board members cited the lot's extreme constraints and the applicant's commitment to reduce several existing nonconformities as the central reasons for approval. The property owner, Karen Galvin, applied for variances covering stories, height, gross floor area, building/structure coverage, ground coverage and multiple setback reductions on the R10 parcel.
Raymond Malinowski, presenting for the applicants, told the board the lot measures about 3,413 square feet in a district that requires 10,000 square feet, and sits at the junction of three private streets. "The buildable area is roughly 7% of the lot," Malinowski said, and described topography and the triple-frontage layout as unique hardships that limit reasonable placement of a house. He said the proposed design reduces the existing maximum building height from 32.8 feet to 26.2 feet and reduces several coverage and gross-floor-area measures compared with the current structure.
Malinowski read letters of support from immediate neighbors; one, from Margo Parney, said the existing house "is in need of extensive work" and that a new home "will be better for the family and neighborhood." Builder Rich Finn told the board the proposed total square footage would decrease from about 2,576 square feet to 2,486 square feet and that the lower level would remain an unfinished walkout basement not intended as habitable space.
Board members and the zoning enforcement officer discussed how floor area is counted when a structure has a walkout basement; the enforcement officer advised that spaces with ceiling heights over six feet must be included in gross floor area calculations, which drove some of the numerical floor-area-ratio considerations.
The board's motion, read into the record by the chair, granted the variances listed (sections 10.1.4, 10.1.5, 10.1.6, 10.1.8, 10.1.9, 10.1.10 and 10.1.11) to permit demolition of the existing residence and construction of the proposed plans prepared by Indigo Landscapes Design LLC and architect Craig Lalverte (dated 06/04/2026). The motion also approved the coastal site plan application. The vote to approve both the variances and the coastal site plan was unanimous.
The board noted the new construction will meet current building, fire safety and energy codes and that the changes will generally reduce the property's preexisting nonconformities. With approvals in hand, the applicants may proceed consistent with the stamped plans and any building-department requirements.
The board closed the hearing and placed the project materials and supporting exhibits in the municipal file.
